Is it safe to relight the pilot myself, or should a professional do it?
In Brevard, plenty of homes run on propane, and that shifts the safety picture a little: propane is heavier than air, so if you ever smell it while going to relight, it can pool low near the floor — leave and call from outside. The relight itself, on a standing-pilot unit, is normal homeowner operation. It's the repairs behind it that are ours.
Propane country, and a wet one
Brevard straddles both fuels — some natural gas nearer downtown, propane out toward the cabins and Connestee Falls — and Transylvania County's 80-plus inches of rain a year is hard on hearth hardware. That moisture rusts dampers, corrodes pilot assemblies, and works its way into chimney chases and crawl spaces, so a pilot here is more likely than most to give trouble from corrosion rather than dirt alone. If yours lights but won't stay lit, that's usually a failing thermocouple — the sensor that proves the pilot is burning — not something a homeowner should chase.
Relight, don't repair
You can follow the lighting label on a standing pilot; you cannot open the gas valve or rebuild it, and in North Carolina you legally shouldn't — that's licensed contractor work, and we hold that license. Two hard stops: any propane smell means get everyone out and call from outside, and a weak yellow flame instead of crisp blue means stop and have it checked. Propane also burns hotter per unit than natural gas and needs its own orifice and pressure, so a wrong-fuel setup soots and misbehaves — one more reason a struggling propane fireplace earns a professional look.
Keep the weather out
With this much rain, the single best defense for a Brevard hearth is keeping water off it — a sound stainless cap and good flashing spare the pilot assembly and damper the corrosion that causes so many no-hold pilots here. An annual inspection catches rust before it strands you on a cold, wet night. If your pilot is already fighting you, request a free assessment or call (828) 545-0525; we're 40 minutes southwest.
Fireplace help in Brevard
We install and service fireplaces throughout Brevard and the rest of Transylvania County — just 40 minutes southwest from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- How do I light the pilot light on my gas fireplace?
- How long should I wait before trying again if the pilot doesn't catch on the first try?
- How do I completely shut off the gas to my fireplace, and where is the shutoff valve?
- I rent my home — is it OK for me to light the pilot and use the gas fireplace myself, or should I go through my landlord?
- Do I need to relight the pilot after my propane tank runs empty or the gas is shut off for service, and is there air in the line to work through?